Protective packaging devices are used to protect articles and goods from shock and vibration during the transportation thereof. Corrugated boxes are designed to meet the particular needs of the product being shipped, the hazards of the shipping environment, (shock, vibration, compression, moisture as well as the needs of retailers and consumers. Articles and goods are shipped typically in a corrugated box with void-filling packaging including bubble wrap, Styrofoam®, paper, popcorn/peanut-shaped cushioning, and the like. While the corrugated box can be recycled, the void-filling packaging often becomes waste with associated problems of recycling and disposal. As a result, a need exists for protective packaging devices that can be easily recycled, do not contribute to waste problems, and that protect articles and goods in transit.
Conventional packaging systems have been developed to reduce the need for void-filling packaging when shipping using a corrugated box. These packaging systems hold an object securely against a substantially rigid panel by a flexible plastic film material superimposed on one surface panel by glue strips or, alternatively, by using a pocketed film sleeve. The panel has fold lines that cooperate with the film material to secure the object to the rigid panel when the side portions are folded in a direction away from the film, thereby tightening the film against the object placed between the film and the panel. Panels with pocketed film sleeves are sold under the mark TenxionPax® and manufactured by ClearPak LLC, for example, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,675,973 B1, 7,296,681B2, 7,731,032 B2, 7,743,924 B2, 7,753,209 B2 and 7,775,367. Elastomeric polymer plastic film blends are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,695, 6,010,006, 6,148,590, 6,148,591, 6,289,655, 6,311,844, 6,289,655, 6,913,147, and 7,086,534 as manufactured by Sealed Air Corporation.